   #copyright

Copenhagen Fire of 1728

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: General history

   Buildings which burned are shown in yellow on this map of Copenhagen in
   1728 by Joachim Hassing.
   Enlarge
   Buildings which burned are shown in yellow on this map of Copenhagen in
   1728 by Joachim Hassing.

   The Copenhagen Fire of 1728 was the largest fire in the history of
   Copenhagen, Denmark. It began on the evening of October 20, 1728, and
   continued to burn until the morning of October 23. It destroyed
   approximately 28% of the city (measured by counting the number of
   destroyed lots from the cadastre), left 20% of the population homeless,
   and the reconstruction lasted until 1737. No less than 47% of the
   section of the city, which dates back to the Middle Ages, was
   completely lost, and along with the Copenhagen Fire of 1795, it is the
   main reason that few traces of medieval Copenhagen can be found in the
   modern city.

   Although the number of dead and wounded was relatively low compared to
   the extent of the fire, the cultural losses were huge. In addition to
   several private book collections, 35,000 texts including a large number
   of unique works were lost with the University of Copenhagen library,
   and at the observatory on top of Rundetårn, instruments and records
   made by Tycho Brahe and Ole Rømer were destroyed.

Timeline

   Section of Joachim Hassing's map color-coded to illustrate the
   approximate progress of the fire, showing the origin of the fire
   (bright yellow) and the area affected by midnight on Wednesday (dark
   yellow), by midnight on Thursday (orange), by midnight on Friday (red)
   and by Saturday (purple).
   Enlarge
   Section of Joachim Hassing's map colour-coded to illustrate the
   approximate progress of the fire, showing the origin of the fire
   (bright yellow) and the area affected by midnight on Wednesday (dark
   yellow), by midnight on Thursday (orange), by midnight on Friday (red)
   and by Saturday (purple).

Wednesday, October 20

   The exact time that the fire started is unknown. Various sources
   mention times between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. is the best
   estimate. However, the exact location of the origin of the fire is
   known. Almost directly across the street from Vesterport (the West
   Gate) was Lille Sankt Clemens Stræde. On the corner facing Vestervold,
   there was a small house on lot "Vester Kvarter 146" (according to the
   cadastre of 1699) owned by Signe, widow of Boye Hansen. The lot is
   almost identical to the one on the corner of present day
   Frederiksberggade (the western end of Strøget) and Rådhuspladsen. Among
   the widow's tenants were restaurant manager Peder Rasmussen and his
   wife, Anne Iversdatter. It was on the second floor of the
   restauranteur's apartment that the fire started. At the inquiries held
   after the fire was over, both he and his wife stated that their seven
   year old son had started the fire by accidentally upsetting a candle,
   but it is more likely that it was the result of carelessness on behalf
   of the parents while casting candles and that they blamed the child to
   avoid punishment.
   Map of Vester Kvarter where the fire started with the lot numbers from
   the cadastre of 1699. The numbers of the burned lots are underlined in
   red.
   Enlarge
   Map of Vester Kvarter where the fire started with the lot numbers from
   the cadastre of 1699. The numbers of the burned lots are underlined in
   red.

   The watchmen were quick to sound the alarm, but given the fire
   department's relatively primitive equipment, the fact that the streets
   of Vester Kvarter were too narrow for the fire pumps, the strange
   dispositions of those fighting the fire, and a series of unlucky
   events, the fight was nearly hopeless. The wind blew from the southwest
   that evening, carrying the fire along Lille Sankt Clemens Stræde, Store
   Sankt Clemens Stræde, Vombadstuestræde, Antiquitetsstræde and
   Hellig-Kors Stræde. By 9:00 p.m the main street of Vestergade was
   burning on both sides. From here the fire spread along Store Lars
   Bjørns Stræde, Lille Lars Bjørns Stræde and Studiestræde.

   Later that evening, the fire reached Sankt Peders Stræde, where the
   Valkendorfs Kollegium dormitory (lot "Nørre Kvarter 122") was engulfed
   in flames. Professor Peder Horrebow, who lived at the dormitory, lost
   most of his properties. Presumably simultaneously, the fire also
   reached Professor Hans Steenbuch's room on Studiestræde (lot "Nørre
   Kvarter 60"). Around midnight, the fire reached the priest's residence
   by the church Sankt Petri Kirke.

   On Nørregade, another fire started at a brewery Wednesday evening -
   possibly between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. Just prior to that the original
   fire had reached Gammeltorv, where people fought keep the fire back.
   For that reason, help was sent late to deal with the new fire. Around
   midnight the wind shifted to the west, and the situation on Nørregade
   turned critical as the fire was driven towards the street along a wide
   front. At first people sought to keep the fire on the western side of
   Nørregade, but nevertheless it spread to the eastern side during the
   night. Simultaneously, the fire moved from present day Nørre Voldgade
   towards Nørreport (North Gate).

Thursday

   Early Thursday morning, a final desperate attempt to keep the flames
   from spreading was made at Gammeltorv. Already-burning houses were
   fired upon with cannons to make them collapse. When that did not work,
   an order was given to blow up the houses with black powder charges. The
   building housing the wine cellar known as "Blasen" on the corner of
   Vestergade and Nørregade was to be the first demolition, but this
   dangerous undertaking failed when the gunpowder blew up while men were
   still carrying in the charges. While the building did go down, people
   were killed and injured and the explosion ignited nearby buildings,
   including the church Vor Frue Kirke. By 9:30 a.m. the church spire had
   fallen into the street, and soon after the whole church was engulfed in
   flames; the personal property that people had brought to the church to
   keep them safe from the fire was lost.

   At Nørregade, the fire reached Sankt Petri Kirke around 8 a.m. By 9
   a.m., the flames reached bishop Christen Worm's residence (lot "Nørre
   Kvarter 112"), which burned to the ground. The bishop who was
   travelling, was left with the clothes on his back and three prayer
   books.

   At Nytorv, the flames consumed Det Kongelige Vajsenhus (The Royal
   Orphanage) (now the location of the Copenhagen District Court). The
   City Hall of Copenhagen – then located between Nytorv and Gammeltorv –
   was now in peril. Around 10 a.m., the flames had taken hold of the
   building and it was soon added to the list of buildings lost. From
   Gammeltorv the inferno made its way down Klædeboderne, Skindergade,
   Skoubogade and Vimmelskaftet, heading towards Amagertorv, while from
   Nytorv the fire found fuel on Rådhusstræde towards Frederiksholms Canal
   and Slotsholmen.

   New fires were reported: Count Adam Christoffer Knuth's house in
   Pustervig, a cellar in Købmagergade (Market Street) and a haystack at
   Nørreport (Northern Gate) all broke out in flames; the latter likely
   ignited by embers carried by the wind.

   When the fire had consumed Vor Frue Kirke, the University of Copenhagen
   saw one building after another burn. The Community Building
   (Kommunitetsbygningen), which was used to help support students by
   giving them free meals; the University's head building
   (Studiegården/The Study Courtyard), at the same location as the current
   head building; and the Anatomy building (Domus Anatomica) and Anatomy
   Theatre (Theatrum Anatomicum) were all lost. Aforementioned, Professor
   Hans Steenbuch had sought refuge at Professor Hans Gram's home, where
   both he and his possessions found temporary safety. But now the fire
   reached Gram's home next to Vor Frue Kirke (lot "Klædebo Kvarter 245"),
   and there wasn't enough time to save Steenbuch's possessions, although
   Gram saved most of his own from destruction. Along Kannikestræde, one
   by one University of Copenhagen professors' homes fell prey to the
   flames. Several more student dormatories were lost but along
   Købmagergade a wing of buildings were saved including the church
   Regenskirken.

   The next notable victim of the fire was the church Trinitatis Kirke,
   which housed the University Library in its attic. The flames got a hold
   the church around 5 p.m. and when the ceiling gave around 10 p.m., the
   entire university library collection was delivered into a sea of
   flames. Rundetårn was left for the most part undamaged, but the
   observatory at the top burned out.

   From Gammeltorv, the fire spread out to Ulfeldts Plads (now
   Gråbrødretorv), around 4 p.m. The monument that shamed traitor Corfitz
   Ulfeldt lost a few letters in the heat. A few hours later, the fire
   closed in on the church Helligåndskirken and at 8 p.m. its carillon
   bells came to life as they did every half hour – playing Thomas Kingo's
   Vreden din afvend, herre Gud, af Naade (Eng. Turn your anger, Lord, by
   mercy) – just before they crashed into the fire below.

   From Trinitatis Church, the fire continued down Landemærket towards
   Gothersgade. Here, the fire met up with the other branch of the fire
   which ate its way down present day Nørre Voldgade. Around midnight, the
   church Reformert Kirke was ablaze. The only place in the city where
   there was some control over the fire was around Vandkunsten.

Friday

   Friday morning the wind shifted again, this time to the north. The
   firefighting finally started to show some semblance of organization,
   and efforts were waged to stop the fire in the neighbourhood around
   Magstræde. This failed, though, when the fire took the soap factory on
   Magstræde around noon. The wind was now blowing northwest and the
   firefighting moved via Snaregade to Nybrogade, Naboløs and Gammel
   Strand, but failed to save Nybrogade.

   Further east, the fire proceeded south to Klareboderne and Møntergade.
   Poul Fechtels Hospital on Møntergade was drowned in flames with some of
   the residents still inside. Close by, Professor Ludvig Holberg left his
   home on Købmagergade (lot "Købmager Kvarter 18"). Around midnight, the
   blaze was close to Silkegade and Store Regnegade.

Saturday

   Over the course of the night the wind settled and stopped the forward
   march of the fire. 36 homes were selected for demolition to create a
   firebreak, which did stop the fire at the corner of Store Regnegade and
   Gothersgade. Further west, Amagertorv and the church Sankt Nicolai
   Kirke had been threatened, but the blaze was stopped close to
   Amagertorv, where only the three houses furthest north ("Frimands
   Kvarter" lots 8, 10 and 11) were lost.

   The fire on Magstræde at the soap factory was still a threat. The fire
   ate its way along Snaregade. At the end of Snaregade was the house (lot
   "Snarens Kvarter 2") of the vice mayor, Christian Berregaard, which the
   people tried to save. The houses around it were torn down, and the
   houses on the opposite side of the street were blown up with black
   powder. The outcome was hardly any better than that of the earlier
   attempt at the wine cellar, though. The gunpowder went off, people had
   to run for their lives and the vice mayor's house was set afire and
   burned to the ground. After the failed attempt to save the house, the
   fire was stopped from spreading further, though, and among other things
   the weigh station of Christoffer Valkendorf was saved.

   In line with Christian interpretation of the day, the slowdown of the
   fire during Saturday was seen as a result of divine intervention. To
   thank God, king Christian VI introduced October 23 as a new annual
   holiday in 1731 on which every church in Copenhagen held a service of
   thanksgiving. This holiday was abolished at the holiday reform of 1770.

Losses

   Old statistics attached to the back of the map by Joachim Hassing,
   according to which 1640 houses burned and another 39 where "ruined".
   The number is probably a bit too high.
   Enlarge
   Old statistics attached to the back of the map by Joachim Hassing,
   according to which 1640 houses burned and another 39 where "ruined".
   The number is probably a bit too high.

   Property losses from the fire can be accounted for with relative
   certainty as detailed surveys were made immediately afterwards. City
   surveyor Søren Balle submitted the first survey on November 1, 1728 and
   on April 13, 1729 the Magistrate of Copenhagen finished a second, made
   according to a royal request of December 12, 1728. The differences
   between the two surveys are limited to the extent of the damages on 43
   lots, so it is fairly certain that 1227 lots containing about 1600
   building were lost in flames. All of Copenhagen consisted of about 4500
   lots (per the cadastre of 1699), so about 28% of the lots were lost.
   For the medieval part of town the ratio is 47%.

   The magistrate also made a survey of the spared parts of town from
   which it appears that 8,749 former residents of the parts touched by
   fire had found new lodgings. It is estimated that as many as 15,000 had
   become homeless. This is about 20% of the population, which is
   estimated at 70,000. However the number of dead and wounded is unknown.
   It is possible to deduct some information from parish registers and
   other sources, but the number remains uncertain. It is probably low in
   comparison with the extent of the fire, though.

   While the human and property losses were staggering, the cultural loss
   is still felt today. The University of Copenhagen library was without a
   doubt the greatest and the most frequently mentioned of such. 35,000
   texts and a large archive of historical documents disappeared in the
   flames. Original works from the historians Hans Svaning, Anders
   Sørensen Vedel, Niels Krag, and Arild Huitfeldt and the scientists Ole
   Worm, Ole Rømer, Tycho Brahe and the brothers Hans and Caspar Bartholin
   were lost. Atlas Danicus by Hansen Resens and the archive of Zealand
   Diocese went up in flames as well. The archive of the diocese had been
   moved to the university library the very same day the fire started.

   Several other book collections were lost as well. Professor Mathias
   Anchersen made the mistake of bringing his possessions to safety in
   Trinitatis Church. Árni Magnússon lost all his books, notes and
   records, but did manage to rescue his valuable collection of
   handwritten Icelandic manuscripts. At Borchs Kollegium 3,150 volumes
   burned along with its Museum Rarirorum containing collections of
   zoological and botanical oddities. The burned out observatory in
   Rundetårn had contained instruments and records by Tycho Brahe and Ole
   Rømer. The professors Horrebow, Steenbuch and the two Bartholins lost
   practically everything. And on top of all that a large part of the city
   archive of records burnt along with city hall.


   Copenhagen Fire of 1728

    In the library on top of Trinitatis Church were many things which the
             world no longer owns; the damage cannot be helped.


   Copenhagen Fire of 1728

                             —Árni Magnússon

Consequences

   Map of Vester Kvarter after the fire with new cadastre numbers and
   streets. Compare it to the map above.
   Enlarge
   Map of Vester Kvarter after the fire with new cadastre numbers and
   streets. Compare it to the map above.

   When the reconstruction of Denmark's capital was begun a number of
   changes were introduced. A commission was appointed to regulate the
   streets. After surveyings among the ruins this commission submitted a
   suggestion to create 12 to 15 meter wide main streets with 10 meter
   wide side streets with none of the surrounding houses being
   half-timbered.

   This plan was not followed in the reconstruction. While half-timbered
   houses were banned at first, the ban was lifted again in 1731 as brick
   houses were considerably more expensive. Medieval Copenhagen, however,
   had changed permanently when the reconstruction was complete by 1737.
   Streets and alleys no longer followed the original paths and some even
   ceased to exist.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen_Fire_of_1728"
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